Your product is our business

We offer truly global semi-industrial and engineering solutions for solids in powder or granular form as well as for liquids. From the reception and identification of raw materials, to the conditioning, packaging and distribution of end products plus everything in between. Katoen Natie can integrate all these phases into your supply chain, reducing your handling and transfer costs and optimizing the response times for your end customers. For all products (even non-free-flowing, hygroscopic and sensitive to dust explosion) we provide tailor-made solutions, both for small and for large quantities, whether packaged or in bulk.

Storage

As a semi-industrial service provider, storage stays one of our core competences. This includes not only the physical storage but also the administrative processing. We position ourselves as capacity provider, but can accommodate smaller flows as well. Our transport and distribution systems merge seamlessly with your production flows and help to streamline your supply chain. In some cases we can even interface between your ERP and our Warehouse Management System.
Our state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with dock levelers, loading pits, racks and scanning devices. The warehouses can be equipped to suit your requirements, for handling nor granules as well as powders. We also offer tailor-made solutions for storage of bulk material. Our silos are equipped with nitrogen and dry air blanketing, fluidization and vibration cones. Alternatively we can store your smaller batches of specialty chemicals in van boxes, hopper cars and seabulk containers. Hazardous and non-hazardous goods.

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(Re)packaging

Based on many years of experience, Katoen Natie has the technology, the know-how and the facilities to take care of all your repackaging activities. In particular we can deal with products that are non-free-flowing, hygroscopic or sensitive to dust explosion, thanks to a combination of different technologies such as tilt frames, vibration and fluidization aids. Our product experience covers ao minerals, pigments, engineering plastics, elastomers, PA, BPA, SAP, PTA, melamines…

We can repack your solid products for you in practically any combination of the following configurations, ranging from the smallest packaging (5 grams) up to large bulk flow in silo. Our scope ranges from spot activities in flexible repackaging areas up to fully automated structural flows.

Small packages

  • Small bags
  • Big Bags
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Drums
  • etc.

Large configurations

  • Van box
  • Seabulk container
  • Bulk truck
  • Hopper Car
  • Silo
  • etc.
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Optical sorting

Katoen Natie is a true leader in optical sorting as we offer our customers the most highly advanced sorting technologies available today.

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Sieving

Katoen Natie can help you to get your product right in spec. For instance by removing under- or oversized particles. The main technique for this is sieving. Removing particles that are too big is also known as de-longing or de-clustering. Oversized particles may result from e.g. too large cuts in the pelletizer. Katoen Natie is able to offer various types of sieving techniques: quality monitoring sieving and particle size separation. After sieving your products, we can even check the particle size distribution making use of ASTM standardized control methods such as lab screens and laser analyzers. But whatever it takes to get your product right, our Specialty Chemicals business unit finds the appropriate solution for you.

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Grinding & Shredding

Our Specialty Chemicals business unit is a trendsetter in the field of grinding and shredding. Since our customers require perfectly produced powders, only the best equipment from proven suppliers is installed, after extensive internal and external trials. We mainly produce powders on attrition mills, disc mills, air classifying mills and jet mills, ranging from ultrafine to coarse powders, keeping the same product groups on the same mills. In addition to these main technologies we also can offer a shredding unit in case of blocks or lumps and nitrogen blanketing for products sensitive to dust explosion.

In addition to polyethylene and engineering plastics processed on disc mills we can also grind elastomers, flame retardants, melamines, synthetic waxes and many more. We will study your requirements and propose a solution. Katoen Natie offers you the link between pellets and powders, or between powders and finer powders, at strategic locations worldwide, for multiple industries and applications (e.g. rotational molding, powder coating, compounding, textiles, electronics, mining, paint and inks). Our in-house laboratories guarantee fast monitoring of product quality (e.g. PSD, density and flow). Furthermore our engineering department makes sure that every project is a success for both customer and supplier.

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Demetalizing

For certain sensitive applications, metals (ferrous and non-ferrous) have to be separated from your product. Our advanced metal detectors are used to rapidly and accurately detect and reject contaminants. Typically, the product is screened for metal particles above a maximum size. A detector drives a flap that diverts the metal particles.

Katoen Natie acts as an extension of your production process, adding value to your products by removing metals in your bulk (e.g. silo) as well as your packed product (e.g. big bags).

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Dedusting

Dust and other unwanted forms such as angel hair and streamers are often created as a result of product handling. These can be removed by making use of industrial dedusters, a gravity-driven process based on the fact that loose dust and other fine particles fall more slowly than pellets and granulates. This has the advantage that no mechanical forces are exerted on the material. Our dedusting systems are characterized by safe dust collection at product feeding stations, handover and discharge points.

Similarly, our packaging machines and tilt frames can also be equipped with in-line dedusting equipment. The dust is diverted into tube or bag filters and can even be transported back into the product stream whenever required.

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Removal of volatile components

For all your grades where evaporation of monomers or water molecules is a key issue, Katoen Natie has different separation technologies. The product, from small to large batches, is loaded into insulated storage bunkers, bulk trucks or silos, with warm, dry air being blown in. Deodorizing & Deflavoring (foto 8) Monomers (e.g. octane, hexane, butene-1, butane and propane) can be evaporated by deodorizing or deflavoring your product. They are expelled from the product by heating. The product warms up and the odor and flavor-bearing molecules escape.

Drying

Both internal and external water molecules can be vaporized and isolated by our drying technology. Finally our high-tech analysis methods guarantee fast monitoring of product quality.

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Compaction & Granulation

If you want to offer a product with enhanced characteristics, Katoen Natie can help you to improve important product handling specifications to:

  • improve product flow ability
  • obtain a uniform and optimized bulk density
  • eliminate dust hazards
  • improve dispersibility
  • obtain a uniform particle size
  • control particle hardness

Katoen Natie is able to offer you various types of compaction and granulation techniques, where powdery materials are made cohesive through mechanical densification. The compaction can be a hot or cold process to shape your products to close tolerances.

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Blending & Homogenizing

Blending
Additives are blended into a base product as a percentage of the mass of the product. Several techniques are available such as blending towers (static blending), ploughshare mixers and silo blenders. The blend properties in percentage terms can be controlled. The additives are fed into a base product flow, and are then mixed using a continuous or batch blender. If necessary, nitrogen can be added to the blending process. The product can then be packed in small quantity units or blown in to silo so as to preserve the recipe. The advantages of this method are that it produces a homogeneous result and ensures minimum mechanical damage to the product.

Homogenizing
The basic principle is that multiple batches with different characteristics are blended to produce uniform properties. For instance, for uniformization of color or other properties. Similarly, an off-spec product can be mixed and blended with another batch, yielding an on-spec end result. The technique is appropriate for blending cohesive and free flowing bulk solids. Advantages include good blending results thanks to wide residence time distribution and center flow, and easy cleaning, as there are no additional internal installations in the blending hopper.

 

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Compounding

Katoen Natie can act as part of your production process, adding value to your products by compounding them. The production of compounds involves accurate dosing of various additives to raw material resins, to meet specific performance and application specifications. Operations include dosing, micro ingredient batch preparation, additive pre-mixing, extrusion, pelletization, screening, test lab controls and conditioning of finished commercial product grades.

Our extensive silo and bulk distribution network allows us to receive the raw materials in bulk and to distribute after production directly in bulk. This results in direct savings in your supply chain.

Starting with design, followed by construction and ending with operations our engineering department makes sure that every project is a success for both customer and supplier.

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Storage

All kind of hazardous and non-hazardous liquids can be stored in our tailor made warehouses in several configurations (cans, drums, IBCs…) Besides the storage in our warehouses, a large fleet of ISO-tank containers is available for flexible storage of liquids. The necessary surrounding infrastructure is available as well.

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(Re)packaging

We optimize your flows of chemical liquids, offering a hightech service. We are able to handle practically any type of liquid, including biodiesel, surfactants, polyols, lubricants, resins, herbicides, pesticides and many more. With our different semi-automated and automated filling lines we can repack your liquid products for you in almost any configuration, ranging from the smallest cans up to large bulk flows. Katoen Natie is a specialist in inerting or filling cans, drums, IBCs and ISO tank containers, even at high temperatures. We can also transfer your bulk products from tank container or tank truck to rail car and vice-versa, from liquid liner containers to tank truck, from tank container or tank truck to bins, etc.

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Blending

You need a homogeneous product as raw material in your production process or to blend products for your end customer, and you don’t want to include this in your core business. Here Katoen Natie can be your partner. Starting from liquids, or liquids and solids, we can produce the requested blends. Raw materials can be processed under ambient temperature or preheated. Nitrogen coverage during the process is possible as well. Depending on the recipes we differentiate between:

  • Solutions
  • Dilutions
  • Dispersions
  • Gels
  • Pastes

For all of them particular equipment is available ranging from batch blenders to in-line blending technique. Volume-wise we can handle anything from small batches up to ISO tank level. Moreover the blends can be filled directly into the preferred recipient (small packaging, drums, IBCs, ISO tank, etc.).

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Heating

By heating your liquids Katoen Natie offers a solution to avoid frost or to prepare your high viscous products for manipulation. We have hot boxes to heat drums and IBCs. Also, ISO tank containers can be heated by a hot water or a steam circuit. Every tank has its individual temperature settings and is mounted in a special liquid-tight area, according to all environmental guidelines, certifications and standards.

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Tank operations

Katoen Natie operates its own fleet of more than 3.000 tank containers. With offices in Antwerp, Houston and Singapore and a worldwide network of agents we are a NVOCC providing tailor made, global, door-to-door, bulk chemical forwarding services.

Tank Container Operations
Our staff are highly experienced in forwarding activities and hazardous cargo transport and can provide extensive technical advice on the optimal handling and shipping of your chemical liquids. With our worldwide network of test, repair and cleaning stations, hauliers etc., we organize intermodal transport, export & import shipments as well as document control to a high level of customer satisfaction. Alternative methods of transport such as flexibags can be organized upon request.

The High Heat expert
Our fleet is designed to cater for extensive high heating requirements. The tanks range in design temperature from 150 to 200 °C, ideal for transporting e.g. viscous liquids with high melting point or liquids that solidify at ambient temperature.

Fleet management services
Through our expertise we can act as your partner in providing fleet management services. By organizing the loading, discharging, repair, cleaning, document control and forwarding we optimize your fleet condition and utilization.

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Tank cleaning

When it comes to moving your bulk products around, you need fast, reliable services of proven quality that fit seamlessly into your logistics chain. Katoen Natie has 7 bulk truck cleaning facilities at the heart of the chemical clusters in 5 European countries.

All our facilities are EFTCO-certified and provide ECD documents. We are specialized in the cleaning of non-hazardous products.

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Global transport

Katoen Natie’s business unit General Cargo & Commodities supports end-to-end supply chain management by offering road, rail and inland water transport as well as sea freight and airfreight services.

Road & rail transport
With our expertise in road and rail logistics, we can deliver cost-effective solutions that meet your transport requirements. Katoen Natie offers a wide range of road and rail transportation services, including dedicated delivery services.

Inland water transport
Katoen Natie operates a fleet of barges for container transport between major seaports. By offering and promoting inland water transport, we are able to provide our customers a transport mode that is both economical and environment-friendly.

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Freight forwarding

Katoen Natie is a well-known sea freight and airfreight solution provider and delivers highly flexible services through partnerships with leading carriers. We guarantee transport capacities and easily adapt to growing trade volumes – a key benefit when it comes to managing global supply chains.

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Customs

Our customs service can arrange all requested customs documentation, all of which to be completed and submitted in line with local regulations. Besides being a specialist in customs, we also take care of all VAT-procedures for our customers.

How we can help you on customs level:

  • Providing advice for almost every kind of product
  • Executing customs activities: import-, transit- and export formalities
  • Bonded warehouses: different types of customs warehouses dedicated to the needs and advantages for the customer
  • Fiscal warehouses: VAT-warehouses

What we can offer you on VAT-level:

  • Providing advice in fiscal representation
  • Different formats of fiscal representation are possible
  • Offering complete VAT-administration for companies not established in Belgium
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ICT

Katoen Natie’s mission is to provide integrated and tailor-made logistics to a key number of industries and to clients all over the world. The ICT Solution Development department plays a critical role in the accomplishment of this mission. The department was set up to support Katoen Natie’s various business units, allowing business managers to gain a competitive advantage through analytics and process optimization, as well as providing end users with excellent services. In a flexible, straightforward environment, our specialized solution developers solve your strategic and operational issues!

People
The ICT umbrella covers a large area of expertise: our ICT professionals tackle a variety of challenges ranging from installing hardware and applications, to designing complex software, computer networks and information databases, as well as supporting entire systems. Our experts also manage data and make sure this information is accessible to the users.

Technology
Katoen Natie has its own global network, connecting the different locations around the world, to speed up the flow of information. Interfacing with external customer systems (such as SAP) is common practice. Microsoft Dynamics NAV® has been chosen as the software environment for creating progressive systems capable of serving large, multi-customer operations and dedicated on-site terminals. In a rapidly changing technological world, we closely monitor the latest technologies in fields such as radio frequency systems, bar coding, hub connections and EDI. Implementing these solutions has proved to be rewarding.

Creativity
Our main goal is to offer high quality tailor-made solutions. We do not just provide the hardware and software, we solve problems, provide support to industrial processes and ensure that information gets to the right person at the right time. Software development, set-up and maintenance of hardware and networks are done in-house, creating a flexible and cost-efficient operating environment.

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